Officials: Man Dies in Kansas Flooding

September 13, 2008

A 65-year-old man is the first reported victim of new flooding in Kansas after driving his vehicle into deep water near Wichita, officials say.

While portions of Wichita were dealing with record rainfall, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Gary Hargis said the unidentified man apparently drowned while attempting to swim from his vehicle to safety, The Wichita Eagle reported Saturday.

The man’s body was found early Saturday alongside an area road, Hargis told the newspaper.

The National Weather Service said as heavy rainfall continued to fall on large portions of Kansas, certain areas were expected to face additional flooding, particularly along rivers in the south-central part of the state.

National Weather Service meteorologist Robb Lawson said while the 10.31 inches of rain that fell on Wichita were a record for a 24-hour period in the city, there is likely no relief for Kansas in the immediate future.

“It’s already the wettest September on record, and we’re not even halfway through it,” Lawson told the Eagle.